Sipadan island, off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia is simply unbeatable in its beauty and wealth of marine life that inhabit this coral island, formed by living coral growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone in the heart if the indo-pacific basin. The island itself is a pinnacle rising from 600 meters from the seabed in the Celebes Sea. Home to some of the best dive sites in the world, Sipadan is most renowned for Barracuda Point which regularly features among the top 5 dive sites in the world.
This dive site is located to the northeast of the Sipadan Island and is accessible by a short boat ride from the mainland. The site lies just off the island wall where a valley-like plateau at 40m connects the wall (5-10m) before dropping off into the deep Celebes Sea. The unique location of this site, at the junction between the open ocean and the island’s reef wall, brings with it currents rich in food and nutrients which in turn attracts thousands of fish and large pelagic to the site.
So what makes Barracuda Point one of the most spectacular dive sites in the world? No prizes for guessing here as the name itself gives it away. This site is renowned for congregation of hundreds and sometime thousands of Great Barracuda that form a swirling vortex that is known as a barracuda tornado. These Barracuda drawn in by the presence of hundreds of other smaller fish, hover just off the wall circling menacingly waiting to strike at their next victim. The sight of these barracuda vortexes are simply the most stunning sight to behold, where divers can have large chevron and blacktail barracuda often inches away from their masks, which is an unnerving yet exhilarating experience.
Barracuda Point has a lot more to offer than just Barracuda, and often divers that have been here will tell you that even without the Barracuda, the site would be just as interesting. Drawn by the masses of smaller fish and plankton, the site is abundant with larger pelagic fish, such as tornadoes of schooling jacks, leopard sharks, white tip and Grey Reef Sharks, hammerheads, napoleon wrasse and bump head parrotfish. There are also a great number of turtles that constantly glide past you. Large grouper, batfish and red-tooth triggerfish also congregate in large numbers at Barracuda Point.
Coral life is also simply lush and breathtaking, but with so much large fish activity, divers often overlook the stunning coral that lies throughout the seabed of this site. Known to house a shark cleaning station, one will often spot sharks getting a cleaning from remoras, which is a great photo opportunity for underwater photography.
Overall Barracuda Point is recommended only for intermediate and advanced divers simply because currents can be strong and surface conditions choppy. While no special scuba diving equipment is necessary, There is the risk of divers heading too far out northward and getting caught up in the powerful ocean currents that pass over the northern tip of the island. Visibility can often be poor owing to the currents. Still with over 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem, and the swirling tornadoes of barracuda overhead, Barracuda Point is truly deserving of its title as one of the best dive sites in the world.
